Media Figure Warns Against Compromises for New Government

Media personality Moti Shklar is cautioning against the formation of a minority government reliant on Arab parties and criticizing concessions to Haredi parties on the issue of conscription. In an opinion piece published in Yediot Ahronot, Shklar questions why the promise to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu is overriding other value-based commitments.

Shklar, a research fellow at the Hartman Institute, is critical of the moves to establish an alternative government to Benjamin Netanyahu, warning against abandoning key commitments of the "change bloc" in an effort to secure a Knesset majority. He focuses on two main issues: the possibility of forming a minority government with external support from Arab parties, and the willingness to reach agreements with Haredi parties at the expense of a promise to advance broader conscription.

Shklar suggests that some Religious Zionist voters who supported the change bloc may be disappointed by the emerging coalition. He believes many would not have supported the bloc if they knew the change in government would be based on political partnership with Haredi and Arab parties. Regarding a minority government, Shklar dismisses the distinction between coalition membership and parliamentary support, arguing that a government must not only manage state affairs but also reflect national identity and foster a sense of partnership.

While viewing Arab citizens of Israel as legitimate partners, Shklar believes that involving Arab parties in leadership requires a clear consensus on Israel's identity as the nation-state of the Jewish people. He contends that without a change in the positions he attributes to some Arab parties, there is no justification for breaking promises made to voters on this matter.

His sharpest criticism targets the conscription of Haredi men. Shklar argues that the promise to expand conscription is not a negotiable item in coalition talks, as it relates to the burden of security and mutual responsibility in Israeli society. He warns that compromising on this issue while reservists and their families bear a heavy load could erode public trust and willingness to serve.

Shklar presents the conscription issue as a key test of the credibility of parties that pledged change. He does not reject political compromises in principle, acknowledging that changing circumstances might justify backing away from election promises. However, he insists on examining whether a genuine change has occurred to warrant such retreats. The mere desire to replace Netanyahu, he argues, is insufficient justification.

Concluding his piece, Shklar challenges the leaders of the change bloc with a test of value consistency. He asks if their voters would have equally accepted a compromise on opposing judicial reform in exchange for replacing the government, implying that the conscription commitment should not become a bargaining chip. Shklar asserts that a change of government should serve a worldview and policy, not be an end justifying any compromise. The true test for the change bloc, he states, is not just its ability to form a coalition, but its willingness to uphold the principles for which it sought voters' trust.